Blood in the Water
by AdAbolendam
Summary: The last shot had been fired and ash from the remains of the Death Star no longer fell, but closure is still a ways off for the heroes of the Rebellion. (Endor/Post-RotJ)
1. Father

**Content:** I always wondered what happened after that 'he's my brother' kiss at the end of RotJ. Surely, Han would have had a few questions...

**Note: **While this can be read on its own, I wrote this as part of the 'Empty Spaces' series. Chronologically, it takes place between 'Resolution' and 'Aftershocks.'

* * *

_'He's my brother.'_

_ For the first few minutes, he had been elated. He kissed her and wrapped her in his arms. They watched with matching grins as the remnants of the half-finished battle station hit the atmosphere with sparks and whistles, like fireworks. _

_ The moment couldn't last. It was too perfect. In Han's experience, if something looked too good to be true…_

_ 'Wait,' he said._

_ Leia had turned around and looked up at him inquisitively._

_ 'Why would you guys keep that a secret? If you and Luke are brother and sister, why didn't you ever tell me?'_

_ It didn't make sense. Luke had never even _met_ Leia before the Death Star. He hadn't even know her name._

_ Leia's smile remained intact, but a shadow fell across her eyes._

_ 'There's a reason,' she assured him. 'And I promise to tell you. But not now, okay? Just…Can we just enjoy this now? Please?'_

_ His first inclination was to protest, to demand the truth. He felt like he had been fumbling in the dark, trying to find his footing since he woke up in Jabba's Palace a week ago. But she looked so happy. Gods knew they both deserved one moment of peace._

_ 'Fine,' he acquiesced. 'Keep your secrets for now. I think we probably have a celebration to get to.'_

_ The smile lit up her eyes again._

That was twelve hours ago. Han watched as the fires of the victory party cooled to embers with a half-empty tumbler of Corellian brandy warming in his hand.

Maybe he should just let it go. Could he? The battle was won, the war was nearing an end and his friends had lived through it. He had gotten the girl. And his best friend was no longer competition, he was…

No.

It just didn't make any sense.

He ran a hand over his face and looked around him. Lando and Chewie were regaling a captive audience from the Rogue Squadron with stories of their liberation of the slaves on Ylesia. Han smirked as victories were exaggerated, escapes became narrower and details were forgotten with each retelling. If the story seemed far-fetched, the Rogues didn't notice. They were drunk on adrenaline and victory and anything seemed possible.

Han remembered what that felt like.

Where were they? The so-called Skywalker siblings were nowhere to be seen.

'So this lanky, redhead comes running up with a blaster—

'Hey, Calrissian!' Han interrupted.

'Hold on, Han.' Lando put up a finger. 'And she just looks down the barrel of this piece at this Hutt. The blaster was twice the size of her arm—

'Lando!'

'And she just says, "Remember me? You son-of-a—

'LANDO!'

'HAN!' Lando turned to him, 'What's the idea? I'm telling a story here!'

'You seen Leia?'

'She left with Luke about half an hour ago.'

A chorus of jeers and nudges erupted from the Rogues.

'Better keep your eye on your girl, Solo!' Jansen called out. 'Skywalker's a war hero, you know. Wouldn't take much for him to steal her away!'

'Oh yeah? And what am I? Who do you think blew up that deflector shield, Jansen?' Han challenged.

The Rogues hooted at that.

'Alright, alright,' Lando interrupted. 'Go find your girl, old buddy. They looked like they were heading for the village.'

Han mock-saluted him. 'Hey, don't forget to tell them the part where "that redhead" double-crossed you and sold half your fleet to the Rebellion against your will!'

'Oooooh!'

The squadron dissolved into laughter.

'That was cold, Han!' Lando protested.

But he had already disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

'—until tomorrow?'

'Believe me, I don't want to tell him either. But it's not going to get easier if we wait.'

Han heard Leia sigh in response. The darkness hid him as he neared Luke and Leia on the bridge outside of the hut where they had been quartered for the last week.

'I just don't want to see him look at me like I'm…'

'Like you're what?' Luke asked.

Han scuffed his boots loudly on the sodden wooden planks to announce his approach.

'Wondered where you two had gotten off to,' Han said as casually as he could.

Leia jerked in surprise.

'Hey Han,' Luke replied. 'Is the party starting to wind down?'

'Yeah, just a bunch of pilots left, jerking-off to old war stories.'

Luke's laugh was forced. 'It's what they're best at.'

Leia studied the rope railing. Her face was drawn and pale.

'What's going on with you two?' Han asked. He had never been one for pretense and one too many drinks had demolished any trace of his already-lacking diplomatic skills.

Leia shot Luke a look of arch meaning.

'What?' Han demanded.

'Leia and I are twins,' Luke said bluntly. 'She says she told you as much earlier.'

'Yeah, how is that possible?' Han asked. 'And why wouldn't you tell me? It's your business, I guess, but why keep it a secret?'

'Because we didn't know,' Leia said simply.

'I only found out when I went back to Dagobah,' Luke clarified.

'You have known you are brother and sister for a week?' Han repeated.

'I only found out last night,' Leia said.

'Last night…Oh…'

'Yes,' she affirmed.

Well, that explained a lot. But not everything.

'Okay,' he said. 'I'm trying to follow this. Your Jedi mentor on Dagobah told you that you are Leia's brother. How do you know that it's true? I mean, you two didn't even know each other until three years ago!'

'It's true, Han,' Leia said softly. 'Think about it. We were both adopted. Our birthdays are on the same day. We…'

'We just know it's true,' Luke supplied.

Han let out a low whistle. 'Well, if you're right, that is amazing. I mean, what are the odds that you two would even meet?'

The twins exchanged tight smiles.

'Less than you'd think,' Leia said.

'What is that supposed to mean?'

'Well, there's a lot we don't know still, but a lot of it has to do with our father,' Luke said.

'You know who he is?' Han asked.

'Vader,' Leia whispered.

'What?'

'Vader was Anakin Skywalker,' Luke explained. 'He didn't know…'

Luke continued, but Han's alcohol-soaked brain was processing this information all wrong. It was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Nothing was making sense. Everything seemed out of place.

He remembered Luke telling him about his lightsaber the day he first met him. How he inherited it from his father. He was going to be a Jedi, like his father, Anakin Skywalker, the hero of the Clone Wars.

And Leia… he thought of Leia screaming out in her sleep, held down by invisible, gloved hands as she was tortured and then forced to watch as her civilization was destroyed.

He had heard that mechanical, metered breath as he was bent over an electrical fire back on Bespin. He felt that empty stare on his back, pitiless and unyielding, as he cried out in pain.

Vader. The weapon of the Emperor. The man who had pursued him, Leia and Chewie across the galaxy. The man who had manipulated Lando, had tortured him and Leia, brutalized Luke and had stolen nine months of his life.

His vision swam back into focus and he saw her.

She held on to the thin rope of the bridge's railing and stared blindly into the darkness below.

'Leia?' He asked.

She shook her head slightly and clutched the rope with white-knuckled fists.

'Hey!'He stepped forward and lifted her chin. When she finally looked up, her eyes spilled over.

'I'm sorry,' she whispered.

'Hey.' He wrapped her in his arms. 'What are you sorry for, Princess? You didn't do anything wrong.'

She relaxed into his chest and cried. Her body shuddered with muffled sobs.

'Oh, Leia,' he sighed. 'I'm so sorry, Sweetheart.'

He kissed the top of her head.

They never could catch a break, could they? Poor Leia. After all she had been through, it was a testament to her strength and courage that she was still standing at all. She deserved so much better than this.

'It'll be okay,' he murmured. 'It's gonna be okay now. He can't hurt any of us now. He's gone. Right, Luke?'

Han looked over to where Luke was standing uncomfortably, looking uncertain of what to do.

'Um, yeah, he's… he's dead,' he stammered.

'See?' Han said. 'Listen to your brother!'

Leia looked up at him with a watery smile.

'I never have before, why start now?' Leia joked lightly.

'Hey!' Luke protested.

Han looked from one twin to the other and back again.

'Damn,' he muttered.

'That just about sums it up,' Luke agreed.

'This going to sound crazy…'

'Try us.'

'It kinda makes sense.'

Leia's eyes narrowed. 'Tread carefully, Solo.'

Han had to hold back a grin. That was the Leia he knew.

'No! I just mean… Of all the people I have met in the galaxy, and you know, I've been around… You two are the most naïve, stubborn idealists I have ever met. It makes sense that you would be related.'

Luke put his hand to his mouth to hide his smile.

'Must get it from our mom's side,' Leia deadpanned.

Han snorted and Luke lost his composure completely. Leia shook her head before dissolving into giggles herself. He pulled her close and tried not to think about the sobs he heard between the gasps of laughter.

He kissed the top of her head again. He meant what he said. They would be alright. They _deserved_ to be alright.


	2. Inheritance

Leia let out an audible sigh as he trailed warm kisses down the shallow valley between her breasts. Han lifted his head just high enough to meet her eyes with a knowing smirk before continuing further down her torso.

The two had retreated to the _Falcon _after the meeting on the bridge. Luke had stifled a yawn and Han took it as pretext to make his exit. Leia stayed him for a moment with a glance. She made a half-hearted attempt to assure Luke that she didn't mind staying behind if he still wanted company.

He had raised an eyebrow in reply.

'I think I can survive the night.'

Leia had nodded gratefully and kissed him on the cheek.

Now she willed her mind to stay focused on the task at hand. It shouldn't be difficult. There had not been one night in the nine months that Han had been gone when she hadn't wished for this: to be completely alone with him, with no meetings, no strategizing, no impending battles to wake up to. But the nagging feeling wouldn't go away.

Godsdamnit.

Nothing was ever as simple as it was in dreams.

'Han,' she muttered.

'Mmmm…'

'Han.' She put her hand on his hand. 'Wait. Just a second.'

He looked up at her, resting his chin on her left hipbone. 'Are you sure, Sweetheart? I hadn't even gotten to anything interesting yet.'

'I know.' She groaned in frustration and propped herself up on her elbow. 'But I can't…'

'What's wrong?' His question took on that defensive tone she was used to hearing just before a fight.

'Nothing. With you.'

'Then what is it?'

'I love you.'

She whispered the sentiment as if admitting an awful secret.

'Leia!' He exclaimed. 'I know that! I love you too! What's the problem?'

She forced herself not to look away.

'The problem is that this is real now,' she began. 'The problem is that what I want to have with you is something that lasts.'

'I'm not leaving,' he stated.

She allowed herself to relax just a fraction.

'Look,' he continued. 'I'm not saying that it doesn't scare the hell out of me. The idea of putting down roots… Well, it's not a secret that that kind of lifestyle isn't what I'm used to.'

'Mmm-hmm,' she agreed.

'But I'll tell you something. Even if I _had _left, to pay back Jabba, and even if I had thought about doing something else, I knew in the back of my mind I was always going to come back.'

'Really.'

Her voice was thick with skepticism.

'Well, I may have taken my time doing it,' he admitted. 'But yeah. I would have come back. I was probably doomed the minute I turned this ship around to save your brother's sorry ass.'

'Doomed, huh?'

'In the best sense of the word,' he revised.

Leia rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling.

'This isn't going to be easy, Han.'

'Tell me something I don't know.'

'I'm serious,' she said. 'I… I don't think you know how much I have relied on my work with the Rebellion to keep me grounded.'

'Nah, I wouldn't know anything about that,' he agreed. 'How would I know about the all-nighters? Or the times you volunteered for missions that had nothing to do with you, so you wouldn't be cooling your heels at the base? Or how many times Luke smuggled food out of the cantina to make sure you ate? Or how you fell asleep at your desk more nights than not? Or the nightmares…?'

'How do you know about that?' She asked.

'They aren't quiet,' he said bluntly. 'You don't remember me coming in and waking you up on the way to Bespin?'

She shook her head, eyebrows creased.

'Hell, Leia. There aren't many people in the Alliance that don't have nightmares. And you've got more reason than most.'

'I'm Vader's daughter.' She almost choked on the name. It was the first time she had said that terrible phrase out loud. It echoed in her ears.

'I had heard that,' he said lightly.

'How can you even… want to…' she stammered. '_I_ feel disgusted. Like I am dirty or…'

'Hey!' He stopped her with a hand to her lips. 'Stop that, will ya? Kriff, Leia, he's not you. He's got nothing to do with you. Nothing's changed. The only thing that's different is it's made everything he did even more twisted.'

She continued to study the ceiling of the cabin, silent and tense.

'Luke's Vader's kid too, you know. Do you think he's "dirty"? Do you he's different somehow, now that you know?'

Leia blinked in surprise.

'Of course not,' she whispered.

'So, why would you be any different?'

She understood his argument, but she couldn't get there. Not yet. It was easy to _forgive_ Luke for being Vader's son. There wasn't any part of him that was dark or malicious. When he had left her on the bridge the night before (gods, had it only been one day?), she had never for a second shared his fear that he would be taken in by the temptations of the Emperor or of Vader. She feared he would die a hero, chasing a foolish dream of redeeming a man who was too far gone to be saved. Luke was nothing like their father.

But as for herself... She didn't know...

'Vader's my blood,' she answered finally.

Han exploded.

'Blood doesn't mean anything! It's nothing! You know who my parents are?'

She shook her head.

'Me either! They either died or abandoned me, but the result was the same. Hell, they might be some horrible criminals that could make Vader look like a saint, for all I know. Your family is who _you_ choose. Blood is just the way you get here. And you had a family, Sweetheart. A good one. Bail Organa _chose_ you. Didn't he? He loved you, didn't he? You've got nothing to be ashamed of.'

Leia blinked back tears and nodded. 'You're right. I... You're right.'

'What's that?' he asked. 'Say it again, I think I want it on record.'

She threw a pillow at him.

He dodged the assault and climbed on top of her.

'You've got a lot more handed to you than anyone should be expected to deal within a lifetime. And I get why you're upset. It'll take some time for you to get a handle on all this. But you don't have to worry about what I think of you. You know what I think of you. Okay?'

'Okay,' she whispered.

'You can't scare me off, Princess,' he declared. 'If you want out, now's the time.'

'I never wanted out,' she confessed.

'Good.'

He pressed his lips to her mouth, silencing any more protestations with a crushing kiss.

'Now, where were we?'

* * *

**One more part to go! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Blood

**Last part! Hope y'all enjoy!**

* * *

She knew that it wouldn't last. This couldn't really be her life. Three full days with only a few meetings to attend. Part of her had always dreaded the end of the war, almost as much as she had longed for it to end. She feared the feelings of loss and sadness that would fill the vacuum left in the absence of duty.

But her mind was deliciously blank and untroubled.

She had spent her free time watching Han tinker with repairs on the ship or listening to Luke as he told her about his time training on Dagobah. Chewie took her hunting and showed her how to use a bowcaster. She went on aimless walks through the forest without having to worry about being shot at or captured.

Is this what vacation is like?

She couldn't remember having been on holiday since she was a child. It never occurred to her that she would have the chance again.

She voiced the thought the next morning to Han as they laid in his bunk, debating what time was considered too late to get up for breakfast.

'Did you ever do this on holiday?'

'Well, I think the last trip I took was an ice-fishing vacation when I was nine,' she remembered. 'So, no. Not a lot of chance to lie around in bed with my lover.'

Han chuckled at that.

'Not a lot of time for dating in the world of politics, I guess.'

'In politics we call them "liaisons."'

'Ah, all diplomacy and allegiances then? Or were any of those "liaisons" personal?'

She searched his face in the dim light of the cabin.

'Are we doing this?' She prodded him.

'What?' His expression was the picture of innocence.

'You know what.'

He sighed. 'Alright, you caught me.'

'If you want to know, just ask,' she dared him.

'Fine. How many?'

'Two.'

'Including me?'

'Okay, three,' she amended. 'Notice I'm not asking for your number.'

He groaned and rolled on to his side to face her. 'Probably for the best.'

'Actually…'

Han winced. 'Leia, seriously, it's nothing I'm proud of.'

'Yeah, I doubt that,' she quipped. 'How many did you love?'

'Love? One.'

'Including me?'

'Two,' he admitted. 'It was a long time ago. When I was too young to know any better.'

She smiled. 'It's hard to imagine such a time.'

She kissed his cheek and crawled over him. She could feel him admiring the view as she bent to grab her discarded clothes. She made a conscious effort to slow her movements ever so slightly.

Should she really be enjoying this this much? Hard to know. She didn't really have any experience in this area.

'Anyone I know?' His voice broke through her musings.

'What?'

He rolled up until he was sitting to face her. 'Those two before me? Was it anyone I know?'

Her heart dropped into her stomach.

Shit.

She knew it was too good to last.

'Do you really want to do this?'

He looked down at the darkened cabin floor.

'Not really,' he admitted.

'But you are anyway,' she finished for him.

Han didn't reply, but she could feel that stare again.

'The first was on Alderaan when I was sixteen. The second one you know.'

She met the gaze she could sense rather than see. Her jaw was set and her arms were crossed, daring him to ask.

Say it, Han. Just say it.

'Who?'

She bit the inside of her cheek and stared him down.

'You know who,' she said defiantly.

A dry laugh bubbled up from the darkened bunk.

Leia shook her head and turned away.

'Are you kidding me, Leia?' Han demanded. 'He's your brother!'

'I thought that "blood doesn't mean anything."'

He stood up and paced, running a hand through his hair.

'You've got to be kidding me,' he repeated.

'You know we didn't know,' she reminded him.

'When?'

She considered lying. Maybe it would have sounded better if she told him it was after Yavin or at Ord Mantell or any of those missions before the Empire found them again. But he had never lied to her. He had hurt her, but he had never lied. She owed him the same.

'After Bespin.'

His laugh was a harsh bark.

'That's... that's just…'

Leia jumped at the muffled thump of flesh and bone hitting the thick metal wall.

'Han!'

He put his bruised hand to his mouth and hissed. She crossed to the room toward him and he put up his uninjured hand.

'Don't,' he warned her. 'Just don't.'

She stood in silence wondering if there was anything she could say that wouldn't make this worse.

'I can't be here with you right now.'

He palmed the door lock and the panel swished open.

Leia slapped her hand over the switch and the door closed again.

'Leia…'

'No!' She hissed. 'You listen to me! Don't you dare do this now! You have no idea what it was like after you were taken!'

'How long did you wait until I was gone, your Highness?'

'Screw you, Han!'

'Huh? How long? Why did you even bother to come back for me? Did your brother not get the job done for you?'

She slapped him as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Hard.

'Don't you _ever_ talk about him like that again!' She yelled. 'This isn't about me betraying you! It's about your stupid jealousy! Somewhere in the back of that tangle of circuits you call a brain, you think that the only reason I chose you was because I couldn't have him!'

'Well?' He asked. 'Isn't it?'

'Gods, you are even dumber than you look!' She exploded. 'Do you have any idea what happened to us? Do you even care?'

'What, Leia? Huh? What happened to you?'

'Have you even noticed Luke's right hand is gone?'

Han swallowed audibly and Leia realized with grim satisfaction that she had his attention.

'What do you mean?'

'His hand is a prosthetic,' Leia said. 'Vader cut his hand off. That was right before he told him that General Kenobi had lied and that Vader was really Anakin Skywalker. Do you know what he did then?'

'What?' He asked reluctantly.

'Luke tried to kill himself.'

Leia could hear the manic beat of her heart in her ears in the silence that followed.

'But, he didn't…'

'No,' she said. 'We rescued him. But you might have noticed that he hasn't been the same since.'

Han leaned against the wall of the cabin and crossed his arms.

'So, what? Sharing his bed was your version comforting him?'

'No. It was him comforting me.'

She had meant it to be hurtful, but the venom was gone from her voice. There was nothing malicious or underhanded in the night they had spent together, just desperation.

'Why did you need comforting, Leia?'

'Why do you think?'

Han looked at the floor. She knew she had won, but she didn't care. It just hurt. Everything always hurt. She knew the holiday couldn't last forever. But she had hoped for just a few more days.

'Luke found me staring at an airlock bay on _Home One_,' she continued. 'We had lost Fett's ship and there weren't any new leads. I was so tired…'

'What did you do?'

'Nothing,' she said, with a shrug. 'I just imagined. I wondered if anyone would ever even know what happened if I just stepped into it and cycled. I would have probably been labeled MIA. A historical footnote. There was hardly anyone left who would even care.'

'Gods, Sweetheart…'

'Luke came by right then. I didn't say anything. But he got this look.'

'I know that look,' Han said.

She smiled sadly. 'And I knew that he knew. He didn't let me out of this sight for the whole week after. Then we got word that Fett had landed on Tatooine. We had just gotten the _Falcon_ airborne when Lando commed to tell us that there had been trouble on his end and we were going to have to delay another month. He told us to go ahead and wait. I went back to my cabin. Luke was worried. He should have been worried...

'I'm not sorry,' she concluded.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down.

'No,' he said. 'I guess you shouldn't be.'

Leia crossed the space between them and stared up into his face.

Please let this go, Han. Please let us be alright.

He wrapped his arms around her and sighed into her hair.

'Anything else?'

She shook her head.

'Okay.'

'Okay?'

'Yeah. I shouldn't have yelled.'

'No, you should have,' Leia said.

'Yeah, I should have,' he agreed. 'It's… we're not normal, are we?'

'No.'

He leaned back. 'I'm going to get some air.'

'Okay. You're not going to bring this up with Luke are you?'

'No,' Han said. 'And you don't have to worry about me hitting him or anything.'

'You could try, but…'

'Yeah,' he snorted. 'Right. Well, I won't. He's been through enough.'

She watched as he laced up his boots and shrugged on his jacket.

'You, uh, you wanna meet me later? Tonight?' He asked. 'Might be busy until then.'

Leia took the hint. 'That sounds fine.'

Han nodded and palmed the panel control.

'Han? I do love you.'

He gave her a small smile.

'I know you do, Leia.'

She listened as the sound of his boots on metal faded and hit the control for the cabin lights. Harsh, yellow light flooded the small room and she blinked while her eyes adjusted. Her com-link fell out of her jacket pocket. A tiny indicator light glowed on the side.

'Play message,' she dictated.

'_Princess Organa,'_ the voice of Mon Mothma greeted her. _'A summit has been organized on _Home One _at 1300 hours to discuss plans for extraction and relocation to Coruscant. Your presence is required. Over.'_

Leia closed her eyes.

Vacation was definitely finished.


End file.
